Really Big Shift

Since the Olympics there really isn't anything on TV. The Rangers aren't winning. Hockey hasn't started. The hurricane wasn't the ratings boost the networks had hoped for, although I saw some previews of some coming storms, and it looks pretty promising. (What's wrong with this picture?) TV-wise, I couldn't get excited about the convention in Denver. I wanted to see Bill Clinton, didn't care to see his wife, can't get excited about Obama. I was feeling let down. But last night I just happened to flop down on the couch after tennis in time to watch Sarah Palin.

I was one of the few Americans who had done more than what the media would have us believe McCain's people did, and I read her "Official Governor of Alaska" website. If you got past the relatively amateurish and borderline "folksy" nature of it, there was some good stuff in there. She has a record of telling Washington to "butt out" of Alaska business, then she's managed to turn around another day and make a valid case for why beluga whales did not need to be on the endangered species list, or she'd ask for some "ballsy" big numbers -- hundreds of millions of dollars -- for her state to develop their energy infrastructure. And she got what she asked for. She's been good for Alaska.

And based on seeing her last night, I think she's a lady who speaks her mind. And she's good at it. She carries a gun, and I don't think I'd mess with her. Secret service will have a really hard time keeping up with this lady.

I didn't want to like her. I wanted to hate her, but I have been so disenfranchised and so "independent" for so long...and between my research and the speech last night, she just might do it for me. I think she could be just what this country needs. And not just one of her. If she gets in office, there will be a lot of new jobs in Washington. A lot of "speak her mind 40-something women" will have access to good jobs, and for the first time in the history of the United States of America: some real power.

Girl Power. Middle aged, good looking, smart, not afraid to speak your mind women. I'm all for it. Get the Mom's of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, National Guard, Reserve, Coast Guard, etc., etc., and the Mom's of special needs children, and the mothers of kids who messed up by society's norms, the condom broke, now's there another baby, we'll deal with it I love you situations. Bring those people to Washington with their pain and suffering and their experiences, and put a real voice in America. Change really could happen.

I admit. The "Hockey Mom's for Palin" signs probably helped at least endear me to her. They were far too crude though -- does Minneapolis not have a Kinkos or Fast Signs? I think she knew what she was talking about. Washington as we know it will be blown wide open. There will be jobs for smart, networked people in government. This could be cool.

I don't like to discuss politics, but I am a bit astonished at my own enthusiasm for once. I think this lady is about results. She knows how to get things done. She will take things down a big notch "stuff shirt, politics, politics, bullshit, bullshit" in Washington. I think the Vice President is in there with the Congress and the Senate and has some authority. I think this lady can kick some ass.

Overseas people will like her because her family will have some drama and it's like the first time in years that we'll even know how many kids the vice president has, their names, what they do. I can even see a reality show on Bravo. This could be really fun.

For the first time last night I watched a speech and didn't feel like a jaded publicist looking for all the orchestration. There was no ear piece. She didn't fumble any words. I think she probably wrote that speech herself. I'm an independent, and if she went after my vote, she just might have gotten it.

Things she said resonated with me. She knows energy. She has an environmental bent. She's pro-family. She's not perfect.

I have been swayed. I don't typically vote Republican, but I haven't liked Obama since he beat out Hillary, who I liked only for her husband, who is my all-time favorite president. I met him at a fundraiser for Governor Roy Romer in a United airlines hangar back at the old Stapleton Airport in Denver. He was simply presidential. Impressive. Handsome. Tall. I met Mr. Obama at a restaurant on the Navy Pier in Chicago during the last election year. He was running for senate, and I had my picture taken with him. I wasn't impressed. I think I could have pushed him over size wise. He was young, and although exceedingly polite, not presidential -- ambassadorish, perhaps, but not presidential. My brother-in-law unfortunately deleted the photo. It made us look like best friends, so I'm so bummed, but he and my husband both will vouch that the photo once existed and we met Mr. Obama before he was Mr. Anybody. Come to think of it, I think I'd like to meet Sarah Palin.

One last thought. Don't you think this is going to be good for foreign relations? Do you think a bunch of Arab terrorists are going to want to take on a country all of a sudden empowered by pre-menopausal and menopausal women? Mothers? WORKING Mothers? If Sadaam Hussein was still alive he'd be quaking in his boots.

I can't believe it. I haven't been this happy since the democrats took ahold of the senate. Or since the Avs won the Stanley Cup.

The only thing better than this is if we'd get McCain to step aside and become a cabinet guy, and let Sarah Palin run for president. We could get Angelina Jolie-Pitt to run for VP. Madonna could be secretary of state. Brad could hang with Sarah's husband and they could go to Yankees games with Madonna. Politics would merge with People magazine and truly hit the American populace.

I'm so psyched. This is going to be water-cooler worthy. I think it's going to make cigars in the hallway look like child's play. We're going to have parties at the White House and the Palin kids charming Washington. CSPAN might actually become interesting. It's going to be interesting to watch this fall out. What would Tim Russert have said? What is Hollywood going to do? I'm so happy there will finally be something to watch on TV.

Happy New Year

It's always nice when you can end the year on a positive note. There have been some years when I couldn't wait to close the door on one year and move to a new one. Thankfully, this isn't one of them. 2007 was pretty good overall. It feels good to be able to say that.

In 2007, we moved, which can be a really good thing. It gives you a chance to purge yourself of "stuff" that you really don't need. It feels good to get rid of clutter and start fresh.

In 2007 I had a chance to visit with just about everyone I'm related to -- in person. That's pretty unusual and it was really, really nice. The occasion was my grandmother's 95th birthday celebration -- a week spent on Lake Maxincuckee in Northern Indiana. I know how very lucky I am to still have my grandmother. So many people my age do not have any grandparents left. It's amazing how smart the elderly are. After all, they have lived far, far longer than the rest of us. If you take the time to listen to them you can learn a whole awful lot.

In 2007 my youngest son became a teenager and for the first time in years I found myself with kids that really truly could take care of themselves. That made my business trips easier and my weekends more enjoyable. I no longer dreaded Friday nights as the start of a long weekend of "taking care of kids." Now I just drive kids, and feed kids, and pay for things. It's easier, and as I get older and my patience wanes, it's nice to have more time to myself. I think that's good for everyone around me.

2007 was a year when gas prices went through the roof and I started thinking more seriously before every trip I took -- whether it was just to town or to some far-flung locale. I don't want to think of the thousands of dollars that went into my gas tank, and it is a little annoying to hear my oil business friends talking of their tremendous profits. (Their new homes, the cars their kids drive, and the vacations they take tell those stories easily enough.)

But other than the gas prices (and the cost of milk and groceries in general), this was a pretty good year. And I'm hopeful that 2008 will be even better. Maybe the economy will continue to improve and gas won't seem so unpalatable.

So here's wishing everyone a fantastic 2008 and one of the best years ever. Happy New Year!